Crazy Little Thing Called 'Love'
by Lacie L'Blanc
Summary: The quiet suburban Twilight Town is in for a rude awakening. Enter Roxas Strife, a young blonde who's not afraid to shake things up if it means getting his way. They won't know what him 'em. AkuRoku, RiSo, CLeon
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"_I'm gonna kill him!"_

"C'mon Cloud, don't be like that. I'm sure he has a good reason for it… Besides, you know how he is. I'm actually surprised you didn't see this coming." Sora said casually, manoeuvring the phone into a more comfortable position pressed between his ear and shoulder as he paced back and forth across the room.

"_I'm going to gut him and stick his head on a pole… Push him off something high…"_

"Cloud…" Sora sighed into the phone, rubbing his temples at his elder brother's obviously pissed-off voice. Riku looked up from his position stretched out across the bed reading the latest issue of some nameless teen fashion magazine. Sora waved a dismissive hand at him and turned to walk over to the window, leaning against the sill as he tuned back in to his brother's ranting.

"…_Ungrateful little shit! He just can't sit still! You'll see, I bet he waited ten –no, five minutes, tops, before he left to go on the prowl for some middle-aged business man with a giant–"_

"–Briefcase? Don't be such an ass, Cloud, he prob'ly got bored of waiting for you and left to get food or something to read," Sora turned at hearing a stifled snort from the general direction of his bed, and threw the dirtiest of looks at his best friend who was currently trying not to burst out in a fit of laughter.

Riku chuckled before retorting to his friend. "What? I'm sorry, but you don't know how stupid this conversation sounds from here. I haven't even met him, but I know how unlike Roxas that sounds."

"Shut up, you!" Sora muttered softly, growing increasingly frustrated with this whole conversation.

"_See! Even Prissy-pants knows that he's an absolute pain!"_

"He's our younger brother, and that is no way to talk about family! And stop calling him Prissy-pants, his name is Riku, you should know that by now. He's only been my best friend for, like, 6 years..." Sora snapped, huffing into the phone and then rolling his eyes as Riku let out an undignified 'Hey!' from his place.

"_Whatever. Well I hope he doesn't expect me to pick him up from wherever the hell he ends up at, because I sure as hell ain't coming to his rescue any time soon!"_

"Na, Cloud, you'll see... He'll show up here in a few days, just you wait. If there's one thing I know, it's my twin." Sora stated curtly, his voice wavering slightly, betraying his true state-of-mind. Riku stole a quick glance up at him, seeing him checking his nails in a nonchalant manner. To most it would seem that Sora felt confident his twin would be OK, but Riku knew this was just one of Sora's many nervous habits.

Riku was Sora's best friend, and had been for a long time. They knew everything about one-another. All of his secrets and little quirks… And in turn Sora knew everything there was to know about Riku. Well, almost.

Here Riku knew what was being left unsaid. He knew it, just as Cloud knew it. 'He'll show up, but God knows what state he'll be in when he does arrive…'

* * *

><p>"<em>My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, It's better than yours, Damn right, it's better than yours, I can teach you, but I'd have to charge~"<em>

Goodnight Nurses' cover of 'My Milkshake' came belting out of the lime green slide-screen mobile phone that had seen better days. Its blond-haired owner glanced over at it, vibrating in its place on the dirty floor next to him, as the ring tone continued.

"_I know you want it, The thing that makes me, What the guys go crazy for, They lose their minds, The way i wind, I think it's time… La la, la la la–"_

The tone stopped as nimble hands with freshly painted black nails pressed the red 'disconnect' button. Moments later the phone beeps twice, indicating a missed call. Sliding the screen up, the owner scrunches his nose up in distaste as he sees the caller ID 'the Asshole' in glowing blue font.

He drops his head down low, resting against his knees, and sits silently for a few moments against the dank cement wall.

The loud honking of a nearby car makes him jump up and then shudder as he remembers exactly where he is ('The dirty, dingy back alley of some club, that's where') and how much money he has to get to where he's going.

'None, that's how much. Spent it on a deck of cigarettes and an energy drink, again…' He sighs and pulls out said packet of cigarettes from his pants pocket. Lighting one of the thin white sticks with his lucky '13' Roman Numeral-motif lighter he inhales deeply, letting the fumes settle in his lungs and feeling the nicotine in the cancer stick working wonders before exhaling. He takes drag upon drag before slowly standing up on thin, shaky legs.

Walking out from the shadowed alleyway he makes his way forwards until he is standing under the dim yellow glow of the overhead street lights lining the main road out of Hollow Bastion.

He turns his head slowly, not bothering to shake his bleached-blond locks from his face, and looks for any vehicle travelling in the same direction, before turning back and walking along the side of the road, sticking out his thumb in the standard hitchhikers' gesture and lighting up his second cigarette with his other hand.

It doesn't take long before a dilapidated old truck pulls over and the seedy-looking driver inside flashes a semi-toothless grin at the boy. "You headed to Traverse Town by any chance?" the man asks, resting his arm along the back of the passenger's seat. "Twilight, actually. If you're going by the highway you can drop me at the turn off," answers the boy, whose eyes scan quickly over the interior of the car, unimpressed with its contents.

The man chuckles before popping the passenger's side door open and patting the worn-out seat with his dirty hand. The boy stares at the man for a moment before shifting his backpack off of his shoulder and pulling himself up into the truck.

After driving a good twenty minutes in complete silence the man shifts uncomfortably and glances quickly at the boy, who is staring blankly at the road ahead of them. "What you headed to Twilight Town for, kid?" he asks, his raspy voice giving the boy goose-bumps up his skinny, pale arms.

"I have a name, you know, and it ain't 'kid'." The boy says with an expressionless face, never once taking his eyes off the road.

The man smiles what was surely meant to be an endearing smile and shifts his hand from the gear stick to rest on the boy's knee. The boy turns his head to look at the man, his ocean-blue eyes glowing hauntingly in the muted light. "Alright then boy, what's your name?" the hand slides higher now, up the shredded denim covering the boy's thighs, and he can feel the heat of the man's calloused hand burning through the thin material.

The boy simply raises an eyebrow and smirks as he replies, "Roxas."


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Ding~"

…

"Ding-ding-ding~"

…

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding–"

"OK, OK, I get it, I'm coming!" A petite auburn-haired girl yelled crankily from the back room of Mickey's Diner & Gas, located roughly on the edge of the highway just outside Twilight Town. Her nametag read 'Kairi' and the faded waitress' uniform she wore looked uncomfortably tight –certainly one size too small.

She looked over to the counter and visibly cringed at the seedy trucker that was giving her the once-over. He smirked as she approached and she asked, in the most polite voice she could muster at the given time, what she could help him with.

As she waited for the cliché remark he was sure to make, the bell above the door chimed yet again. She turned her head to acknowledge the newest patron ('Great, another greasy old man to look forward to… And it's only 11 O'clock! With any luck it'll just be one of the call girl's from around the corner…') but caught a glimpse of a sight she had never seen before at Mickey's.

Platinum blonde hair, gelled and spiked meticulously into a messy array swirling slightly to the right and a piercing in the left side of the lower lip. These were initially the most defining features of the person who'd just walked in. The piercing was the only mark on his otherwise flawless pale crème coloured skin covering a petite body of what was surely a boy no older than 17 years of age. Dark tinted white-rimmed Wayfarer's adorned his eyes. An oversized pair of headphones lay around his neck, tucked into a grey leopard-print hoodie with metallic chain drawstrings. The jumper covered a baggy fluorescent pink band T-shirt; though the band's name was so washed out it was indecipherable. A pair of faded black skinny jeans with shredded thighs and holes in the knees covered his thin legs, hanging low on his waist and leaving most of his satiny light green boxers visible for all to see. A pair of gleaming white Hi-Top sneakers finished off the look. The back pockets of his tight pants were bulging with a wallet and a packet of cigarettes (and was that a condom wrapper?). A small black backpack covered in silver and white Sharpie scribbles hung low against his back, though it looked to be quite empty.

'Definitely a city kid…' Kairi thought, wrapping-up her evaluation of the boy. A rough chuckle brought her attention back to the customer in front of her. The trucker was looking towards the boy with a perverse grin.

The man slapped a few bills onto the counter to pay for the gas he had refilled his truck with and stepped towards the door, looking the boy over with hungry eyes. "Ey Roxy, you ever need a ride again, you know who to call, yeah?" he said, in a gravely voice.

The boy casually tilted his glasses up with a single perfectly manicured finger so that his vibrant blue eyes were visible, and smirked mischievously at the filthy trucker. "Oh yeah," he drawled lazily as he rocked back and forth on his heels, his bag swaying precariously on one bony shoulder.

He flashed the man a grin and gave a lazy wave goodbye as the man nodded his head to him and left the diner. He bit his lip as he watched the man through the window, getting into his beat-up truck and reversing from his parking spot. The truck honked twice before speeding off down the highway.

Kairi could have sworn she had seen the trucker pinch the kid on the ass. She blinked a few times before collecting herself and flashing a bright smile at the boy, motioning to offer him a seat.

The boy shed himself of his jumper as he followed the waitress past a few other diners to an available booth. He grunted a 'thank you' as she handed him a menu before rushing off back to the front counter as the door bell chimed yet again.

Roxas sighed deeply, running his hands quickly through his gelled hair before resting his chin in his palm and staring out the window. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but before long the waitress –'What was her name again? Kara? Kori?'– had returned and was asking for his order. He fumbled with the menu, eyes tearing down the page in search of something he felt would be safe to eat in such a… fine eating establishment. It wasn't that the place was filthy or anything, in fact, back in Hollow Bastion he had been in places far worse than this, it was just…

He looked past the waitress at the counter to the tacky framed pictures and cliché vintage jukebox. Roxas was just more of a city-kid, really. He had never liked the quaint life people lead in rural areas; had never been able to appreciate the fine qualities of breathing fresh air or been able to understand how to appreciate having so much open space around him. He was used to the neon lights and concrete walls; the sounds of drunken brawls from the nearby night clubs and the distant screeching of tires from his apartment block in what could be considered the ghetto; _'sex and drugs and rock and roll'_...

He looked up at the waitress, who was still patiently waiting for him to place his order. He cleared his throat before saying, "The burger. Please." He held the menu up for her to take. She wrote down his order and looked up again. "Anything to drink with that?" she asked, in a chirpy voice.

"Just water, thanks" Roxas answered, watching as Kairi (he had snuck a look at her nametag as she wrote down his order) took his menu and walked away, barking his order at whoever was working in the kitchen.

Tearing his gaze from the waitress he reached into his pants pocket, emptying out his phone and iPod onto the sticky table.

Raising the headphones from around his neck and onto his ears, Roxas leaned his head back against the plush vinyl cushioning of the seat and closed his eyes, tuning out the rest of the world.

* * *

><p>Kairi stole a quick glance at the boy sitting in the booth. He had finished his meal a while ago, and was now just quietly sitting there. The setting sun shone in through the window, making his long dark lashes stand out against his pale complexion. He looked to be sleeping peacefully, a picture of angelic blond-haired innocence. The only real sign of life was the occasional chewing motion (Peppermint gum, she could smell it from where she stood) he made with his jaw every few seconds.<p>

She looked over his features carefully, trying to place the familiarity she felt about him. She was sure they had never met, and had certainly never seen anyone like him around Twilight Town.  
>Twilight Town wasn't quite a country town, but it certainly wasn't as bustling as the major capitols like Radiant Garden. It was more or less just a quiet suburban town that had remained sheltered from the influence of the big cities surrounding it.<p>

The closest thing she had seen before to how this boy dressed was her cousin and his group of friends, who were renowned by locally for their outrageous house parties, incessant shenanigans and generally rowdiness.

She walked briskly past his table and placed the bill on its edge, making sure to slip a napkin with her number just underneath, noticeable to the boy but not to anyone else in the diner.

Another 15 minutes or so later he finally opened his eyes when his head seemed to dip forwards suddenly, rousing him from his apparent slumber. He cautiously looked around the diner and removed his headphones from his ears before reaching across the table for the bill. Kairi ducked her head in an attempt to look busy just as a pair of brilliant blue eyes glanced up at her from across the room.

A slow smirk spreading across his impish features and he stood from the seat and stuffed his hands into the front of his jean pockets. After extracting handfuls of small, crumpled notes from inside he took a second to smooth out the money before gathering up his belongings and exiting the booth altogether.

He gave Kairi a cheeky wink as he passed before disappearing through the door, the bell chiming as he left. She felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed before continuing to carry plates from the kitchen to the other diners.

Gathering up a few dirty plates and wiping down tables as she did a quick round of the diner, Kairi finally approached the booth the blonde had previously been seated at to collect his cash. Her heart sank as she saw the napkin with her number on it had been used to wrap up his old chewing gum, seemingly not even given a second glance.

Dejected, she systematically collected the rubbish and cleaned up the table, however as she lifted the crumbled bills she noticed, scrawled on the corner of a napkin, a new note.

" SORRY HUNNY, I ONLY SHAG MEN. ;D "

Shaking her head incredulously, she couldn't help letting a soft chuckle escape her lips as she noted he had even dotted his i's with little love hearts.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glance of the shining blonde hair bobbing as the boy talked animatedly with another trucker in the car park whilst smoking a cigarette. The pair spoke for a minute or so before the trucker gestured for the boy to get in the vehicle, before walking around to the driver's side himself and starting the car. The engine roared to life and before long the pick-up pulled out onto the highway, headed along the road in the direction of Twilight Town.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

"_Give it to me baby, (Ah huh, Uh huh) Give it to me baby, (Ah huh, Uh huh) Give it to me baby, (Ah huh, Uh huh) And all the girlies say I'm pretty fly—"_

"—For a white guy~!" Voices scream in unison, giddy and full of excitement. The wind whipped past, the soft top of the red convertible down to allow the warm breeze of the summer night to gust through the interior of the car.

Axel von Turk bobbed his blood-red spiked head to the beat of the music while in the front passenger seat beside him his best friend Demyx Neuf drummed his hands along the dashboard along with the drums.

Turning a corner sharply, the occupants of the car are jerked precariously to the left. Demyx laughs huskily before thumbing for the carton of cigarettes in his back pocket and lighting one of the thin white sticks. Taking a few quick puffs, Demyx handed the cigarette over to Axel, who in turn took a couple of deep drags and passed it back.

Both boys bob along to the song on the radio, smoking and singing along to certain parts. Slightly drunk and generally high-on-life, the aim of their trip was to be as offensive to those poor souls who happened to be walking along the streets this late at night as possible. Demyx leaned his head back against the headrest and let out a primal howl to the cloud-shrouded moon above, causing faceless passer-bys to glare at the two teens as they sped along down the road.

The car turned another corner into a quieter street, the only substantial light from the dimmed street lights and the headlights of the car. Somewhere in the distance dogs barked at the slightest noise in the night. The radio in the car changed to an instrumental song, the heavy bass still pulsing loudly and making parts of the interior of the car rattle and vibrate at the sheer volume.

A figure illuminated by the overhead street lamp walked slowly along the footpath ahead of the car.

Axel tilted his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose with his middle finger, his acidic green eyes looking over the top of the glasses and gleaming at the sight. "Oi Dem," Axel motioned with his chin in a particular direction, "Look over there"

Demyx's light water-blue eyes followed Axel's pointed gaze before smirking and raising a pierced eyebrow in a wicked manner. Axel chuckled at his friend's expression. Demyx laughed also, whistling lowly and beaming "Good lord, take a look at the ass on that."

Strutting delicately down the street in tight tight _tight_ dark jeans was the perfect ass. Axel pushed his glasses back up to cover his eyes before steering the vehicle with both hands onto the opposite side of the street, the side the person was walking along. He wasn't sure of the gender of the perfect ass at this time, but honestly, with an ass like that, Axel wasn't one to discriminate. As the car drew closer he became almost certain it was a male.

Demyx leant his body over the passenger's side window and Axel slowed down so that the car drove alongside at the boy's pace. His gelled blonde hair covered the majority of his face and a pair of chunky headphones could be seen covering his ears, the cord disappearing down into his baggy hoodie's pocket. His music must have been up quite loud as it seemed they had not yet been heard over their own car stereo, so the teens were certain that he had not seen (or heard) them coming. Seemingly oblivious their presence, Demyx turned his head to look at his best friend with a devious smirk, before jokingly fake spitting on his hand and rubbing them together, carefully taking aim.

The tension in the air was so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. In the few seconds that followed it seemed as though the only noise in the world seemed to be the resonating 'SNAP' from the impact of the ass-slapping Demyx had lovingly prepared for the blonde boy.

His whole body seemed to stop and shudder, as if the idea of what just happened was so mortifying it was slowly killing him from the inside. Or he really, _really_ enjoyed it.

The blonde head slowly turned towards two in the car. There was an audible gasp as the car's occupants were met with an annoyed glance from eyes that glowed an iridescent blue under the street light. Axel's jaw dropped slightly for a brief second, but closed quickly again. He grinned smugly, growling a feral-sounding growl to which the boy responded by cocking an eyebrow at him. With deft fingers he pushed the heavy headphones down to rest around his neck and asked, teeth grinding together, with irritation laced in his tone, "… Can I help you boys?"

Demyx's eyes lit up immediately, all awkwardness previously forgotten. "Well I actually have a boyfriend, but I'm pretty sure my good friend here", he rambled as he motioned behind him to the redhead, "is looking for someone to keep him company~" he started, wiggling his eyebrows at the blonde before receiving a swift punch in the shoulder from said redhead. Axel scowled at the back of the mulleted boy's head, before shifting sideways in his seat and picking at his nails in a nonchalant manner. "Actually, we were just admiring your ass." He replied in a smug tone; however he found that he couldn't make eye contact with the blonde again at the moment, his eyes were too intense, even in the dim light.

If the boy was shocked by the comment, he sure didn't show it. He responded with a coy smile, laughed breathlessly and said, with a hair flip, "You would think that's the first time I've heard that right? But it's not." He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and slowly continued on his way down the street.  
>Demyx turned to Axel, grinning with his eyebrows raised. "Sounds like he's your type Axel" he chuckled, to which Axel beamed and cocked his head. "And what exactly would my 'type' be, Dem?"<p>

"Petite, blonde and clearly not interested," the mulleted boy grinned in response. Axel laughed hard, his eyes crinkling at the corners, before starting the car again to slowly crawl alongside the boy.  
>Though he didn't turn to acknowledge the pair, his glowing blue eyes could be seen peeking through the mess of blonde towards the car from their peripheries.<p>

"So, tell me, what brings and ass like that," the redhead began, his cat-like green eyes shamelessly glancing down again and he bit his lip before adding, "to Twilight Town?" Demyx snickered at the question, his body twisted in his seat so that he was leaning out the side of the vehicle, practically ogling the boy. The boy in turn chuckled lowly and shook his head, reaching into his back pocket of his jeans though clearly not finding what he was looking for. He stopped walking altogether as he patted up and down the pockets on his body, drawing up nothing. He muttered under his breath before continuing at a slower pace, looking down somewhat dejectedly at his feet.

As if on cue, Demyx pulled the carton of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, about to bring it up to his lips before a buzzing from his phone in his pocket caught his attention. He passed the cancer stick to the redhead, who took a deep drag and cocked a fine eyebrow. The boy was unabashedly staring at him, his features hidden in the dark but those damn blue blue blue eyes practically glowed like a beacon. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to stare" he began, exhaling the smoke from his lungs and leaning across Demyx, too absorbed in sending the mother of all text messages, in the passenger's side to extend his hand out of the vehicle, as if offering the cigarette. The boy cocked his head slightly before taking a few slow steps towards the car, reaching out a hand towards to the driver's.

"Or not to take gifts from strangers?" the redhead jeered, quickly snatching the white stick back up to his mouth. Toxic green met fiery blue and time seemed to halt completely. As he stepped up close to the side of the car Axel could finally see the blonde's face. He took in the soft perfect features, eyes drawn to the way his little pink tongue licked at his pouty lips before playing with the jewellery of his lip piercing.

The redhead did not, however, notice the delicate hand reaching up to his face until it plucked the cigarette from his own thin, pale lips. The blonde smirked, a predatory gleam in his eyes, before turning on his heels and skipping back to the footpath. "My mother didn't tell me much about anything," the boy started, "she died when I was too young to remember." The redhead swallowed thickly.

His pace considerably faster than before, the blonde strode with renewed purpose, no longer acknowledging the vehicle alongside him as he quickly burnt through the stolen cigarette. Axel shifted back into his seat, only just realising he had been practically sitting in his best friends lap to get closer to the blonde, before shifting gears and increasing speed to catch up to the boy.

Demyx shouted out as they finally reached a crossroads, the redhead not paying attention and having to break sharply as another car flew past them, effectively cutting them off. The passenger in the other car shouted insults out the window at the occupants of the convertible, a stray middle finger offered up in the air.  
>The boy ran across the road behind the other car and into a street with no street lamps. The convertible stalled at the sudden stop, and Axel cursed as he quickly worked to restart the car, his eyes searching frantically ahead for any sight of the blonde – to no avail.<p>

A distance ahead he swore he saw a puff of smoke and a pair of glowing blue orbs watching him amusedly before disappearing altogether into the shadows.

* * *

><p>The sound of fumbling against the front door and muttered cursing woke Sora from his slumber. Slouched over his desk, the pages of his long forgotten homework crushed under his face (and somewhat soaked in drool), he stretched out his arms and back, sighing contentedly as his joints clicked and popped deliciously. Wait. What was that noise again?<p>

Slowly getting to his feet, he padded across his room and stuck his brunette head out into the hallway, squinting in the darkness. Cloud's bedroom door was closed, which meant that he was home, in bed. So then who was at the door?

Another bump in the night. Oh god. Someone was breaking in? Sora's heart fluttered, and, with the grace of an elephant, he stumbled out into the hallway, throwing his full body weight into the door of Cloud's bedroom. The door didn't give way, and he swore as he fumbled with the doorknob. The knob turned but the door didn't unlock, and Sora cursed his older brother's obsession with personal space.

Nervously he tiptoed to the staircase and all but tripped down to the landing at the bottom. Collecting himself, he legged it across the carpeted living room and into the kitchen; the room adjacent to the front door. His hands groped the counter in the darkened kitchen looking for anything to use as a weapon, before firmly grasping the handle of something metallic. The noises from the door increased.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," he internally screamed, raising the pan high above his head, though his shaking arms made it look anything but menacing, "This is it. This is how I die."

Cloud reached the bottom of the stairs and strode across the living room and into the kitchen, rubbing his tired eyes with the ball of his hand, to see the brunette perched in front of the kitchen table wielding a frying pan, his knees practically knocking together and pure terror across his normally cherub-like face.

A sound from the front door immediately had Cloud fully awake and on his guard. The lock clicked open and the noise of the knob turning was deafening in the otherwise silent night air. The wooden door creaked loudly as it swung open at a painfully slow rate.  
>Sora excitedly pushed past his older brother, dropping the pan to the linoleum floor with a 'thunk' and rushing towards the figure illuminated in the door with his arms outstretched.<p>

"Roxas!"


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

As soon as he stepped onto the front porch of the house that had become so familiar over the past 6 or 7 years Riku knew something was amiss. He lifted the yellowing –he'd have to remember to water that later- foliage of the potted plant beside the door to reveal a spare key tucked underneath the dying leaves.

A firm push and the door popped open, the voices from within the house turning from muted yells to outright shouts. He slid unnoticed into the kitchen, helping himself to a slice of toast from an abandoned plate beside the toaster and making his way to the living room. Riku leant again against the door frame, chewing slowly as his turquoise eyes surveyed the scene ahead.

An exasperated Cloud paced back and forth in front of the sofa, dressed in his usual attire of a grey wife-beater singlet, dark motorcycle leathers and heavy boots. Sora sat on the adjacent armchair, his huge blue eyes wide as he watched the exchange of colourful profanities between the two others as if it were a game of tennis. Riku had to laugh as he noticed the brunette had a plate piled high with bacon and eggs perched precariously on his lap.

From his position in the doorway he couldn't quite see the third person, but he had a gut feeling. Spiked blonde hair swirled in what Riku could only describe as intentional bed-head stuck up from teen seated on the couch. Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, temporarily ceasing the fire of curses at the younger boy. The veins in his neck seemed to bulge out of irritation.

Suddenly aware of their spectator, Sora jumped to his feet excitedly and let out a shout of surprise. Bounding across the room, the brunette flung himself into an embrace with his best friend, effectively trapping Riku's arms, toast and all, from moving. Cloud muttered something about work and discussing things later as he grabbed his helmet from the coffee table and stalked from the room. The sound of the front door opening and slamming loudly shut confirmed his departure.

By now the younger blonde had turned to peek over the back of the couch at the silverette. Still latched around his waist, Sora prattled on and on about something to do with school work and a burglar and a frying pan and ROXAS was _here_! He jumped up and down so quickly he was practically vibrating, his blonde counterpart cocking an eyebrow in amusement. He rose from the couch and patted his clothes down before stepping around the couch to approach the friends.

It was uncanny how similar they looked, though Riku could immediately notice differences between the pair. While Sora's hair spiked in all directions, Roxas' had some semblance of styling to it. Sora's face was rounder and more angelic, while his twin's seemed to be thinner and a bit more angular. He was still attractive, by all means, but the blonde twin seemed more worn down and tired that the bubbly brunette.

Sora hadn't elaborated on why his twin hadn't come with him and Cloud when they moved from Destiny Islands more than the fact that he was considered a 'handful', and had been taken in by their Aunt instead. Riku wasn't really sure what that meant.

He did however know one thing, he thought as he watched the twins interact; Sora grinning at his twin and attempting to wrap and arm around his shoulders while Roxas pouted and rolled his eyes, muttering something about Sora being a dork.

He already had a terrible feeling about him.

* * *

><p>"You'll never believe what happened at the diner the other day," Kairi gushed as she unceremoniously dropped her bag to the floor, sighing contentedly at the sudden lightness. She nudged her shoes off her feet before lightly padding across the small flat to the blanketed lump on the black leather couch. A groan was her only response.<p>

"Well if you felt that way about it, maybe you shouldn't drink," she started, sympathy lacking in her tone. She set about collecting the empty beer bottles from the timber crate that was being used as a coffee table. After pouring their contents into the sink in the kitchenette, Kairi stacked the bottles neatly beside the recycling bin before eyeing the couch and its dozing occupant. "Especially before a school night," she finished as she strode across the room, pulling the blanket off of the hung-over teen concealed underneath.

"Kai," the hoarse voice was muffled against the couch, "Fuggoff." She chuckled and sat herself on the beanbag under the window, grabbing a nearby bottle of nail polish between her delicate fingers. "So I was out the back stocking shelves and the door chimed, right, like a customer came in. So I walked out and there was this old man perving at me, the usual, and he wanted to pay for his gas," she babbled, dipping the brush into the baby pink polish a few times before wiping the brush edge on the lip of the bottle.

The lump on the couch groaned in pain, a thin pale arm reaching out from under the blanket in a desperate search across the dirty carpet. The long fingers fumbled around before finally catching the corner of a nearby cushion. In a second the cushion was being used to –please please please- dampen the noisy chattering from the godforsaken teenage girl. It didn't work very well. Perhaps he could smother himself instead?

"…And I'm pretty sure I saw him grab his ass. I mean yuck. But you should have seen him, he was so your type. Down to the clothes and all. Real sassy attitude. Had that whole innocent blonde, blue eyed thing going on," she continued, ignoring the pained whimpers from the couch until suddenly the blankets flew up in a heap, causing her to shriek and paint all over her hands in the polish.

Tousled red hair stuck up in all directions and cat-like green eyes glowed with renewed purpose as Axel sat up abruptly, his head spinning around to gawk at his cousin. "Did you say blonde?"

* * *

><p>The three teens lounged across the couches in the living room, the dim blue glow from the TV the only light in the darkened room. Sora lay with the full length of his body spread across the couch, his arms draped haphazardly across his body with his head on his best friends lap. Said best friend sat upright, back rigid with perfect posture, reading an old paperback novel, occasionally stealing a fond glance down at the snoring brunette.<p>

Across the room Roxas sat with his legs draped over one arm of the plush chair, watching the pair with an unreadable expression as he smoked silently. Aware of eyes on him, the silverette quirked an eyebrow. A sudden exhale of smoke was followed by the blonde leaning forward and snuffing out the cigarette on a coaster.

"So, Riku," he started, absently picking at his nails as he spoke. Riku glanced up from his book, feigning interest. Fiery blue orbs gazed through thick dark lashes, silently warring with Riku's own pools of luminous turquoise. They sat, silently staring, Riku's gaze unwavering from the stare-down. Finally the blonde faltered, however he quickly regained composure, his lips forming a sly smirk as he dropped a bomb on the silverette:

"So how long have you been in love with my brother?"

Evil. This boy was pure evil.


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Turquoise eyes darted quickly down to the face of the –oh thank sweet Jesus- still slumbering brunette in his lap. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked up to see Roxas getting up from the armchair and all but strutting into the kitchen. With the softest touch the silverette ghosted his hands tenderly over Sora's face, before gently lifting the spiked head from his lap and replacing it with a pillow. Giving the sleeping teen one last (longing) glance, Riku followed his blonde counterpart into the kitchen.

"I am not in love with him," he whispered urgently. The blonde turned from his position by the open fridge door, cocking an eyebrow as a smirk spread across his cherubic face. No. It wasn't cherubic at all. Sora was the angel. This boy, his damn twin, was a demon sent straight from the pits of hell.

"You seem awfully riled up. What would innocent, trusting Sora think if he were to find out his bestest friend who can do no wrong… Is hiding something from him?" Roxas pondered aloud, touching a thin finger to his chin and cocking his head coyly. "I am _not_ in love with him," Riku seethed through gritted teeth. An expression he couldn't place shifted onto the blondes features and he wet his pale lips nervously.

"I'm not too sure who you're trying to convince there, Riku. Me? Or yourself?" Roxas stated, roughing shutting the fridge door before shrugging past the silverette into the living room and upstairs. Riku found that as much as he wanted to follow him to further push his point… He couldn't bring himself to be near the blonde twin at the moment.

He looked down to his feet, a burning sensation behind his eyeballs causing his face to heat up. He was in serious trouble. He'd only just met the blonde, yet he could read him like an open book.

* * *

><p>Cloud slammed the heavy glass tumbler down onto the bar top, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The taste of the amber liquid had dulled his senses long ago. While his previous anger at the younger of the twins had all but simmered down to become more of a throbbing irritation, he had still found himself stopping off at a bar on the outskirts of Radiant Garden as soon as he had made all of his deliveries for the day.<p>

His work was screwing him around with his hours, he was two weeks behind in paying his bills, and now -he downed the contents of his glass in one mouthful- he'd have to play mother/father/big brother/nanny/chauffeur/who knows what else to not one but _two_ growing teenagers… Could this week get any worse? Cloud shook his spiked head to rid himself of any further ill thoughts, opting instead to stare deep into the glass as if it would divulge the answers he was looking for.

"You know, if the first 2 didn't contain the secrets to life, the universe and everything, I don't think that one will either," an amused voice commented from behind him. Icy blue eyes glared at the empty glass, refusing to acknowledge the strangers comment. He hunched his shoulders forward in what he hoped was a 'Piss Off and Leave Me Alone' gesture, however as he felt a heavy body smelling of axle grease settle on the bar stool beside him he kicked himself internally. Fuck.

A calloused, tanned hand came into his view to beckon the bartender over, holding up two fingers once noticed. Said bartender, Yuffie if Cloud recalled from their earlier interactions, practically bounced as she promptly filled up two more glasses with ice and liquor and set about placing the drinks in front of the men. "Leon," was all the spiky blonde was offered before the scarred brunette raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. Cloud found himself staring at the chapped lips of the brunette, his jaw dropping open slightly, captivated by the sight of the man's Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly.

Steel grey eyes watched him, amused, out of their corners. Shit. You're staring, you idiot. "Cloud," he answered (shakily), wanting to add more but not knowing the appropriate thing to say after being caught out practically eye-fucking the stranger. He opted instead to bring his own refilled glass to his lips and drink, big gulps of the burning liquid trailing fiery paths down the inside of his throat.

"You're a man of few words, Cloud," Leon started, smiling a –stupid, sexy- smirk, swirling the contents of the glass tumbler so that the ice and liquid inside span in miniature whirlpools, "I like that." Leon practically _purred_. He drained the remainder of his glass before standing abruptly, tossing some cash onto the bar top before turning to leave. The brunette offered a cheeky wink, Cloud flushing beet red in response, before striding across the bar –holy crap could those leather pants get any tighter? Is he wearing underwear?!- and out the door.

"He liiiiiiiiiiiiikes youuuuuu~" the dark haired bartender sang, rocking back and forth on the bar top and making kissy faces towards him. The flustered blonde hid his now burning face under his gloved hands as he spoke, "W-what makes you think that?" Was it hot in here? It definitely felt warmer all of a sudden.

"It took Leon 2 months to tell me his name. And even then it was an effort to get more than 3 words out of the guy! He practically speaks in grunts and glares," she laughed flippantly, picking up a glass and squinting at it before polishing the rim with a cloth. "He used to be a round more often but he said work's picked up at the shop, so he doesn't get the time lately…" she finished.

The blonde bit his lip and nodded sullenly, face finally cooling down, and he visibly deflated at the comment. The raven haired woman seemed to pick up on this, tossing the cloth to lay over one shoulder and reaching past the rows of different coloured bottles behind the bar to pull a magnet from the wine fridge. She slapped the magnet in front of the blonde, an impish grin spreading across her features. "You can thank me later, Spikes," she beamed, humming as she strolled casually out from behind the bar to clear some tables.

The blonde looked down at the counter in front of him. The logo on the magnet was old and faded, but Cloud could make out that it advertised a business: Cid's Garage - Auto Repairs & Servicing. He stared for a long while, confusion clouding his mind, before finally a wave of comprehension washed over him. Cloud's smiled a tiny smile as he fished into his pocket and pulled out some cash, with a healthy tip for his new favourite bartender, before grabbing his helmet and jacket and heading for the door. He nodded towards Yuffie, who in turn bounced around, waving wildly with a large grin and an armful of empty glasses.

Once in the car park he righted his gear, straddling Fenrir before pulling his helmet onto his spiky hair. He smirked under the helmet as he mused to himself, twisting his keys in the ignition and kicking off as soon as the engine roared to life. Perhaps it was time he took his bike in for a service?

* * *

><p>The redhead sighed heavily and stuffed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans as he walked up the familiar steps and into the large building that was Twilight Town Memorial Hospital. He waved half-heartedly in greeting at the nurses in reception, easily navigating the maze of hallways without needing to glance up from his feet. Upon reaching his destination he pushed on the stainless steel handle and entered the stark white room, the chattering of voices inside halting briefly as the occupants looked up at him before continuing their conversations. Axel walked to the back of the room, taking his usual seat amongst the circle of chairs beside a slate haired teen.<p>

The therapist, Xemnas, and the large orderly Lexaeus entered a moment later, the silver haired man offering a curt wave before approaching a chair at the front of the room. He sat himself with his usual grace, accepting the metal clipboard handed to him by the orderly before flipping a few pages and humming as he read. A few more stragglers entered the room, prompting a stern look from Lexaeus, before eventually all but one seat was filled. Xemnas cleared his throat to address the circle.

"Wait, doc, Nami isn't here yet," an androgynous figure with pink hair said softly. Beside him a blonde man with neatly trimmed stubble snorted, his arm draped haphazardly over the back of his chair. "Hurry up and grow a vagina already, Marly," he chided in a heavy accent, causing the pink haired male to turn bright red and hunch over in an attempt to disappear from the numerous eyes now staring at the pair. The blonde sneered as he leant forwards in his chair, unconsciously fingering a deck of cards while he muttered lowly to himself.

"Namine won't be joining us for sessions this week, unfortunately," Xemnas began, giving the gambler a warning glare before continuing, "She had an episode on Saturday evening and Xion refuses to let us talk to her since." Marluxia nodded his head numbly while the blonde, Luxord, kept silent –his eyes trained obsessively on the playing cards.

Axel let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. His slate haired friend, Zexion, cast him a knowing glance. These group counselling sessions, while beneficial (and in the redhead's case court appointed) were always a bit touch and go. All it would take was one person in the room full of crazies to have a psychotic break and all chaos would break loose.

Lexaeus set about distributing the activity packs for the day to each patient, Axel wordlessly opening the large envelope and reading the contents. Another group task. The room split into two, the groups talking amongst themselves as they worked through the various activities.

A soft rapping at the door caused the silver haired therapist to glance up from his notes while the large orderly strode across the room and gruffly spoke with the person outside. Xemnas made a noise at the burly nurse, causing Lexaues to grunt roughly in acknowledgement and shift from barring the door with his ominous presence.

The therapist's amber eyes crinkled as he greeted the latecomer, "You must be the transfer from Hollow Bastion. We weren't expecting you until Thursday." Axel glanced up from their huddled group towards the door, curious, his thin lips quickly spreading in a predatory grin. So we meet again. Acidic green clashed with endless pools of blue fire.


End file.
